


Settling

by Narcissisticpeacock



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol, F/F, chloe realizes a few things about herself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-24 02:24:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16631084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narcissisticpeacock/pseuds/Narcissisticpeacock
Summary: It would make sense for Chloe to settle down with someone nice-- but men are so bland. Luckily, she has other options.





	Settling

**Author's Note:**

> aight so someone on tumblr (nonhoration) made an excellant case for Chloe being a lesbian and I've been thinking about it a lot  
> It deals a lot with how she puts up with men treating her.... well like Nate did. how she pursued him despite it because he wasn't as bad as the rest. and her ardent pursuit of a shitty dude (i love Nate, but I cannot be convinced out of thinking he is, in fact, shitty) is way too similar to like... a lot of lesbians and how they (myself included) were certain finding a man they could tolerate and sticking with it would find them love?  
> and pair that with how differently Chloe acts towards women. we only see her with Elena and Nadine yeah, but even when Elena is a "rival", she's softer towards her to the point of Elena being the one that gets her to go after the stone in 2. and don't even get me started on how much she cares about/trusts Nadine when they're on the job together for the first time. Nate and Chloe dated but he didn't get crap about her backstory-- Chloe was around Nadine for ten minutes and trusted her with the whole story.  
> but anyway yeah. this is more a lesbian chloe story than a bi chloe story.

This is boring.

Chloe decides this as she finishes her second drink. She hasn’t had to spend a dime as of yet-- both drinks have been sent to her by other patrons in the pub. One is a handsome man not far off. The other from some mystery sitting a long ways away. She can’t see more than their shoulder, clad in grey. It’s not much to go on.

But still, she’s bored. Sure, the man who’d bought her first drink is handsome, but that means nothing. It’s no promise of fun in bed, or a good personality, or anything really worthwhile.

Ugh. When did she start thinking of worthwhile? She’s Chloe Frazer. She’s had plenty of one night stands without even thinking about it. And now she’s in a pub looking for something worthwhile? What even?

She’s trying to remind herself she just came here for something fun and free of ties.

But does she really care to? This is boring.

In all honesty, she’s been enjoying her evenings in. Just last night, she and Nadine had marathoned various movies. They’d gone back and forth between each other’s favourites. Chloe’s all seemed to be action comedies. Nadine’s all varied; an animated feature with zebras, a lesbian rom com, and a strange drama from the nineties with Jim Carrey.

Now that Chloe thinks of it, that had been the highlight of her week. Her partner is very good at making her happy.

Why is she even here?

She could be home having another movie night.

Maybe she really is ready to settle down. Not completely-- just in a relationship. She fully intends to continue on her adventures.

Thinking about settling down is tiring, though. It’s not the first time she’s thought it. But she can’t see herself finding a man that doesn’t eventually bore her or leave her. Spending the rest of her life with a man seems so frightfully dull. Even if it was someone like Nate, she can’t imagine her getting all cozy and domestic with some bloke. But maybe that’s why it’s called _settling_ down. She’d have to settle for some man that never really deserved her. Settling is second place, the booby prize.

It sounds horrible.

Another drink is placed in front of her. It’s one of her favourites; a raspberry cosmopolitan. She asks the bartender who sent it. Again, she’s pointed towards the mystery figure on the other side of the pub.

Hm.

Being with a man for the rest of her life… it’s not what she wants. She doesn’t know why, but she can’t see herself that way. Which makes her wonder if she shouldn’t just keep on the way she is. Maybe it’s not a solution, but it’s… something.

She nurses her drink. This is all too much for her evening out. She’s supposed to be flirting and seducing and finding someone who might give her a decent orgasm tonight. Instead, she’s thinking about the all too uncertain future.

You know what? She’s going to go to whatever mystery man has been buying drinks, and she’s going to hope he’s not terribly disappointing in bed.

She picks up her drink and makes her way over to the grey-clad shoulder.

She’s pleasantly surprised.

“China… what on earth are you doing here?” Chloe grins, sliding into the seat opposite Nadine.

The woman gives her a sly smile. She taps a finger on the outside of her glass. “Taking a page out of your book.”

The adventurer looks puzzled. “You’re here for a one night stand?”

A scoff followed by a roll of her eyes. “Taking a risk, Frazer.”

Chloe hides her pout behind her glass. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”

“ _Chloe_.”

“That’s more like it.”

Nadine sighs. “Is it really so hard to see?”

Now Chloe feels as though she may have missed something. “What?”

Nadine sighs and reaches across the table to grab her hand. “Let me try this. Do you remember what you said before you left?”

Chloe is at a loss. She’s maybe just a bit tipsy and doesn’t really remember saying goodbye to Nadine before leaving. “I, uh… no? Not really.”

“Eish…” Nadine blushes a bit and avoids eye contact. “You said you’d probably sleep with the first person to buy you a drink.”

Realization dawns slow on Chloe. Oh. _Oh._

Oh so casually, Chloe takes a long sip of the drink Nadine bought her. “I should probably let you know,” she starts. “That someone else bought me a drink first. I will admit you buy better drinks, however.”

Nadine looks up at her. “You’re just avoiding what I’ve said on purpose, aren’t you?”

With a wink, Chloe squeezes the hand holding hers. “Maybe I like to mess with you.” She purses her lips. “I don’t know why you didn’t just proposition me at home. We’ve got plenty of alcohol there.”

“It’s not… Chloe, it’s not a proposition. Well, not just.” She swears. “Jammer. I don’t know how to say it.”

Chloe decides to play with her a bit. “Ooh. Not just, huh? Are we intended? Affianced? Betrothed?”

Nadine grows bright red. “Is it really necessary to mess with me like this?”

“Hm. Yes.”

She looks incredulous. “Why?”                   

“Because we could’ve just stayed home and watched more movies.” The adventurer bites her lip. “And _not_ watched movies. Is there a reason this had to happen at some pub?”

Nadine opens her mouth to respond but closes it again. “I… Had to convince myself it was a good idea.”

“Take the risk?”

“Ja.”

Chloe rolls her eyes. “I find that a bit insulting. That you consider me, your partner, a risk.” She avoids eye contact and traces the rim of her glass. “You really think I could deny you? Me, deny the lovely, muscular, and sweet as can be Nadine Ross?”

Maybe Chloe has dated more men than women. She sort of blames the homophobia she'd experienced while young. But women are… vastly preferable to men. Especially the one in front of her.

She realizes that maybe that's an answer to her earlier question. She doesn't have to settle down with a man. She could find the right woman to be with--  in fact, she's certain the right woman is very close at hand. And while the word “husband” is boring, bland, and something she doesn't envision for herself, she rather likes the word “wife”. She might even look forward to having one. Someday.

Because Nadine is not someone you settle for. Nadine is the grand prize.

All of this is probably telling her _something_ about her sexuality, but she feels too old to think about it. She should have that figured out already, right?

“I'm not a risk, Nadine,” she says softly. “Not for you.”

Nadine's eyes go a bit wide but her smile grows wider. “So… want to go back home and watch some movies?”

Honestly, nothing in the world sounds better. “Definitely. Will we be watching Khama again?”

“Khumba. And… maybe. I really like that one.”

Chloe chuckles and downs the rest of her drink. “Let's go, love. This place is a bore.”


End file.
